Young women join the National Dialogue

HOPE AND FRUSTRATION

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ON AUGUST 15, Pretoria became the stage for the National Youth Dialogue, a gathering of young leaders from across South Africa, convened for a pivotal conversation with President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The dialogue sought to confront the country’s pressing realities, youth unemployment, gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), and inequality.

Among those in attendance was Nkeletseng Tsetsane, a Young Urban Women (YUW) Mamelodi Community Facilitator, accompanied by adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) from her programme. For her, the invitation was more than symbolic. It was, in her words, “a level of trust in how I can relay the concerns of those who sent me. I will not sit with the information but return and report back.”

This moment marked both historic recognition and a strategic opportunity, a chance to amplify young feminist voices within national decision-making.

Journey from the Streets

Nkeletseng’s journey into grassroots feminist advocacy began long before her facilitation role.

Her activism was ignited during the 2018 #TheTotalShutdown Intersectional Womxn’s March, when women across the country united against gender-based violence and femicide.